Shipping-crate



(No Model.)

, R. L. A'11EMPI..EMA1\I..

SHIPPINGCRATE.

No. 603,388. Patente-d May s, 1898'.

'immun @ma/who@ ROBERT L. TEMPLE/WAM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

ROBERT LEE TEMPLEMAN, OF TACKETTS MILLS, VIRGINIA.

SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,388, dated May 3,1898. I

application nea August 7, 1800.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT LEE TEMPLE- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at under side thereof.

Tacketts Mills, in the county of Stafford and State of Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Crates; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My inventiony relates to shipping-crates, the object of the same beingto provide a simple and cheaply-constructedy device of this characterwhich can be folded up into compact form for reshipment to itsstarting-point.

The invention consists of a crate made up of a rectangularbottom piece,end strips secured thereto, side strips also secured thereto, one beingwider than the other, end pieces hinged to said end strips and adaptedto fold inwardly, side pieces hinged to said side strips, whichareunitedly of the same height as said end pieces andsaid end strips, acentral partition hinged to said bottom piece and adapted to fold downinto close engagement with said bottom piece, a lid or cover, and meansfor securing said lid or cover in place.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my device in its openposition. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is asection on the line 2 2 of Fig. 2.V Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectionwith the parts in their closed positions. Fig. 5 is a detail perspectiveview of the lid or cover, showin g the- Like reference-numerals indicatelike parts in the different views. v

My improved crate is made up of a rectangular bottom piece 1, having endstrips 2 3 secured thereto and side strips 4 5 also secured thereto, thestrip 5 being slightly higher than thestrip 4. Upon the outer sideserial No. 002,002. or@ model.)

the side piece 10 and the side strip 5. The inner surfaces of the sidepieces 9 and 10 adjacent to their outer ends are cut away, asshown,forming shoulders 11 1l, against which the end pieces 7 and 8 areadapted to bear when the box or crate is in its open position. The saidside pieces 9 and 10 are further grooved, as shown at 12, along theirinner surfaces adjacent to their longitudinal centers, into whichgrooves are adapted to fit the edges of a partition 13, pivoted to thebottom piece 1 and adapted to fold downwardly.

Secured to the outside of each of the side pieces 9 and 10 are strips ofmetal 14 14, having outwardly-extending flanges or hooks 15 15 thereon,for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. Similar strips 16, withhooks or iianges 17 thereon, are riveted or otherwise secured to theoutside of the said strips 4 and 5, respectively. Adapted to fit uponthe top surface of the side and end pieces referred to is a lid or cover18, of exactly the same size and shape as the bottom piece`1. The saidlid has secured to its under side at points near the outer ends thereofstrips 19 19, of metal or other suitable material, havingdownwardly-extending arms or flanges 20 at their outer ends, which areperforated, as shown at 21, for engagement with the flanges or hooks 15on the strips 14 or with the iianges orxhooks 17 on the strips 16. Thesaid lid 18 has also secured Vto its under side supplemental strips 2222 at opposite ends thereof, with downwardly-extending iianges 23 uponthem, against which the upper ends of the end pieces 7 and 8 are adaptedto bear to prevent them being forced outwardly when the crate is in itsoperative position.

Staples 24 24 may be secured to the inner side of the side pieces 9 10,with which corresponding .hooks or pins 25, pivoted to the partition 13or to the end pieces 7 and 8, are adapted to engage.

My invention is especially adapted to be used for shipping eggs frompoint to point', and it is understood, of course, that lsuitable traysare inserted on the inside of the crate and that the layers of eggs areseparated one from the other by sheets of paper or other suitablematerial.

My device in its operative position is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. v

If it be desired to throw the crate into its closed or collapsed form,the lid or cover is first removed and the partition 13 is folded down inclose contact with the rectangular bottom piece 1. The end piece 7 isthen folded down upon the top of the partition 13, the saine fittingclosely upon said partition by reason of the fact that the height of theend strip 2 is just equal to the thickness of the partition 13. Thepaper used for separating the different layers of the eggs is thenplaced upon the bottom piece 1 on the side opposite to that which iscovered by the partition 13. The end piece 8 is then folded down uponsaid paper, lying in a perfectly horizontal position in line with theend piece 7. The side piece 0 is then folded inwardly, with the sidepiece 10 resting upon its top surface; but a portion of the side piece 0will be covered bythe side piece 10 and an uncovered space is left onthe top of said side piece 0. In this space the collapsed egg-trays areadapted to be placed. Finally the lid or cover 1S is placed on top ofthe parts hereinbefore referred to, with the anges 23 on the strip 22engaging the outer ends of the end pieces 7and S and with the fianges 17on the strips 1G inserted through the openings 21 in the iianges 20. Allthe parts are thus locked together in a secure manner. The crate in litscollapsed condition is then adapted to be carried by hand by graspingthe saine by the bail or handle G.

Having now described my invention, what I clailn as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a shipping crate, the combination with a rectangular bottom piecehaving side and end strips secured thereto, one of said side stripsbeing slightly higher than the other, of end pieces hinged to said endstrips and adapted to fold inwardly, side pieces hinged to said sidestrips and adapted to fold inwardly, said side pieces and the strips towhich they are hinged being unitedly of the same height as said endpieces and the strips to which they are hinged, both of said side piecesbeing cut away along their inner surfaces adjacent to their outer endsforming shoulders, against which said end pieces are adapted to bear,and having grooves in their inner surfaces adjacent to their verticalcenters, a partition hinged to said bottoni piece adapted to fit withinsaid grooves when it is in its raised position, and adapted to fold downin close contact with said bottom piece, pins or projections on theoutside of said side strips, and of said side pieces, a lid or cover forsaid crate having guides or stop-pieces at each end, against which theupper ends of said end pieces are adapted to bear, and strips of metalsecured to the under side of said lid or cover adjacent to its outerends having downwardly-projecting flanges thereon with openings therein,into which said pins or projections on said side strips and said sidepieces are adapted to fit when said lid or cover is in place,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a shipping crate, the combination with a rectangular bottom piecehaving side and end strips secured thereto, one of said side stripsbeing slightly higher than the other, and having a bail or handlepivoted to the outside thereof, of end pieces hinged to said end stripsand adapted to fold inwardly, side pieces hinged to said side strips andadapted to fold inwardly, said side pieces and thc strips to which theyare hinged being unitedly of the saine height as said end pieces andthestrips to which they are hinged, both of said side strips being cut awayalong their inner surfaces adjacent to their outer ends formingshoulders against which said end pieces are adapted to bear, and havinggrooves in their inner surfaces adjacent to their longitudinal centers,a partition hinged to said bottoni piece adapted to fit within saidgrooves when it is in its raised position and adapted to fold down inclose contact with said bottom piece, pins or projections on the outsideof said side strips, staples secured to said side pieces and hookspivoted to said end pieces, and to said partition, adapted to engagesaid staples, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ROB". LEE TEMPLEMAN.

Vitnesses:

ALLEN W. MALLERY, Jos. M. OCoNoR.

